Ambitious plans to add an extra 8,000 seats to Brighton’s Amex home have been approved by the city’s planning committee.
The Albion want to fill in gaps in their £93million stadium in time for the first home game of next season and this afternoon its lofty proposals were approved by councillors.
The club was also given permission to add a new temporary car park on land to south of the former Falmer High school.
Club officials have previously said that as long as permission was granted before the final game of this campaign, the majority of new seats would be in place ready to use by the start of the new season.
Albion boasted an unprecedented 18,000 season ticket holders this season and average home gates of more than 19,000 in their first term back in English football’s second flight.
The Herald revealed earlier this year that there are already more than 2,000 people on a waiting list for season tickets next time round and the club is confident there is enough demand to justify the expanded capacity.
Martin Perry, the man behind the Albion’s stadium development said councillors should approve the plans because the club had “put pride back in city”.
The total attendance at the Amex this season has been 461,264 – with regulars munching their way through 232,000 pies eaten while washing them down with 159,000 pints of Harvey’s real ale.